Purpose and Motivation...

Operating on your own is not always best...but I fall to that mode naturally because I am such an introvert. AFter meeting with the Fab Four today (my writing buddies Ellen, Lisa and Michone)and all of us agreeing to get ourselves back together on a regular basis I now have a purpose to get moving on my current work in progress. My plan is keep cranking it out to finish my very horrendous first draft and then rewrite/revise chapter by chapter as I submit said new chapters to them for review. In our heyday we would meet every other week and then with schedules (and my work obssessed nature) we couldn't keep up with the pace. It seems things are aligning so that we can get back together again...and I am so excited. I was thinking awhile back how all of us met at a writing workshop back in April 2005. I'm so glad we are still connected. I'm glad that they get me out of my introverted shell.

In other writing news, I have started a once a day writing exercise (thanks to one of my fellow Thursday 13 List Makers)where I am writing a novel day by day. It is called the Diatribing Diavista and will chronicle the life of a Type 1 Diabetic in Young Adulthood whose life passion is in cake making. Seemed like a cute kind of idea...and a bit of stretch for me. Not the diabetes part, but the cake part. I am kitchen challenged. As I have been watching my Mom and Sister in their new hobby, I thought how funny would it be if your passion was to make sugary goodies and you couldn't (or rather shouldn't) eat them. So, I decided to work on something different to guarantee that I write each and every day. See my side bar for my word count journal button/blurb...click over if you want to check it out. It is something different...

Oh yes...and if you are curious...the fabulous cake you are looking at is one of my mom and sister's creations. I know, right?? This was only the second or third cake they had ever made.

Vera, Vera...Evil, Evil

Are these not totally adorable? I was super thrilled last week when my sister got them for me. How lucky am I to have a sister that loves to get me gifts. I'm not even going to mention the fact that perhaps she uses said gifts to justify her own purchases. That would be so wrong...to rat out my best friend like that. Especially since I get pressies...and have been known to do the same thing too.

Now for the problem. I think this clutch would be the perfect addition to a fun weekend/night out ensemble this summer. I mean how cute would that be? I think it would be just large enough to contain my phone, blackberry, some money and insulin. What more does a girl need? I have a feeling I may have to break down and get this. I hope I can find one...the vera dealer/pusher close to home didn't have it in the bail blue. Perhaps as a treat I'll make a visit to Tiara and while I am there...I should totally get my sister a present!! Circle of Life or Web of Addiction?

Thursday 13 - Life in Status Updates

For this weeks installment of the Thursday 13, I wanted to note some of the Facebook Status Updates that occurred to me as I meandered through the week. I should clarify that these were never actually posted. I have blogged before about how this is a new habit of mine...I think of my life in terms of status updates. Isn't that crazy? Hope you enjoy them!!

1) Joy is wondering why she did not hear her alarm go off...perhaps this is a sign that she needs to adjust her "wake-up" time to something that is more reasonable. Hitting the snooze alarm every 7 minutes for an hour can't be normal.

2) Joy loves the car ride home...especially when XM treats her to songs that she has not heard in a while. Like Midlife Crisis by Faith No More for instance...

3) Joy just realized she got her MBA five years ago...wtf??

4) Joy loves the new owl flair that she got for her tree. She feels a blog coming on.

5) Joy can't believe that there is even soy in bubble gum. As long as she can have Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi...things can proceed as usual.

6) Joy knows that no matter how much she frets about things they always work out as they should.

7) Joy is already plotting her next set of Vera Bradley purchases...July will be here soon and she got a sneak peak at some pixies of the new lines. OMG!!!

8) Joy realizes that half of the reason she always sees the dentist regularly is because of the following - 1) She always gets compliments on her teeth, 2) She gets to leave work early, and 3) She uses it is as a six-month measure for how her life is going.

9) Joy is so excited to see her writing friends on Sunday...the fab four reunites in Bethesda!!!

10) Joy is curious to know if she will figure out when to take a summer vacation.

11) Joy wishes that she was disciplined so that she could get back to writing her novel...her characters are wondering where she is.

12) Joy and Elyse and their Mommy are kind of worried but they trust the process. That is all you can do.

13) Joy thinks she may have found a new endocrinologist...and made an appointment for July. She hopes that this one is "the one". Take that useless pancreas!!!


If you would like to check out other Thursday 13's...have at it by clicking here!!!

Report from the Pavilion - Coldplay

I am a bit late in my follow-up but the Coldplay show on Thursday night was the best one yet. I was having so much fun that I did not take many pictures and those that I took were not the greatest. It is hard to know where to start…other than to say that most my favorites were played. As always, they put on a great show with lots of surprises. They moved from the main stage to a center platform area in the pavilion.

That is where I snapped the glowing head of Chris Martin.


Our seats were in perfect view of the jumbo-tron so this is what it looked like from the front. Coldplay has provided the soundtrack for much of my writing.

The warm summer-like weather was perfect and I was up on my feet groovin' during the entire show. There is something about live music that brings me to life and rejuvenates me. Despite my introverted nature, when the music plays I can't not groove. I have no clue if I look silly or really insane...and I don't really care. And for whatever reason, anytime I am at a show I can't help but think about Joel and Chass. There is no point in not singing out loud and dancing your ass off, in fact, it is kind of like my tribute. You should dance and sing for all those who can't any longer.

It was an absolutely perfect evening and then as the show was coming to a close bursts of confetti hit the air from the front and traveled through the air to back of the pavilion. They fluttered and scattered...a rainbow of color. As they got closer I could see that they were butterflies. How perfect was that?? One found it's way to me and I caught it. A sign....from all the good stuff that flutters around me. A reminder that connections really do last forever.

Thursday 13 - Coldplay Favorites

Since I am so freaking excited about seeing Coldplay tonight, my Thursday 13 list is dedicated to 13 of my favorite Coldplay Songs. Coldplay is one of those bands that totally spurs my writing. There is something about them that gets my brain off into never never land where all my noveldom swirls from. I think upon each of their album releases...a new book idea was borne. So let's end the rambling and share my list!!

1. In My Place
2. Clocks
3. Moses
4. Speed of Sound
5. Til Kingdom Come
6. Life in Technicolor
7. Life in Technicolor II (seems it should be it's own song, right??)
8. Glass of Water
9. Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love
10. One I Love
11. Don't Panic
12. Strawberry Swing
13. Rainy Day

I wish I could list one to grow on...but I won't. But if I could?? It would be Shiver.

If you would like to check out other Thursday 13's...have at it by clicking here!!!

Facebook Findings...

I'm so glad that my writing friends (Ellen, Lisa, and Michone)convinced me to join Facebook and my friend Claudia too. It all happened in one day...I had three people tell me I needed to join. So I joined and now I am happy to share a quick list of my glee.

What Facebook has brought to me - -

* New books to read by chick lit authors who rock. One down and One to go!! And hopefully more to find.

* New writing friends with fun blogs and increased ways to network writing wise.

* Thinking about my day in terms of status updates.

* Finding a fun blog linky activity...finally...the Thursday 13 is my new favorite thing about blogging.

* Connecting with friends from school who I have often thought about and then found on Facebook...and turns out they are just as awesome as always.

* Connecting with many members of my Camp Fantastic family during all the months of the year.

* Connecting with old work buddies...and past IT techs. I have at least two of my old techs on my friends list...and they may well be some of my very favorites. :) Wonder if I could find them all?

* Remembering that I am introverted in person and online, so I may have a low friend count but they are not just anybody. :)

Life’s Movie Moments…

I have had a few I think. You know them, feel them when they are happening. I have even had some that others have witnessed and then told me about. I had one last week. And it is still with me. It had a theme tune and everything. A downed tree caused me to have to drive another way into work. I was driving along with the radio cranked…lost in the reverie of really cool lyrics and sounds. You know how that it is. A song can be as captivating as a person. And then…there he was. One of my novel muses on a morning run. And the music swirled. And my heart did that flippy thing. And I have been on a high ever since…

Thursday 13 - Looking Forward

As I am crazy for the lists, I am finally taking a few minutes out of my day to participate in the Thursday 13 over on Carmen Shirkey’s Blog - The List. This is the perfect thing for me to participate in…being that 1) I love lists, 2) Thursday is my favorite day of the week, and 3) 13 is my lucky number. Kismet anyone??

This Thursday 13 is all about looking forward…so here we go!! I present to you my list of 13 things that I am looking forward to - -

1. Seeing Coldplay one week from tonight and the four day weekend that will follow.

2. Getting a pedicure this weekend.

3. When my signed copy of The List arrives so that I can start reading it…so excited for this.

4. Trying one of those new light lime beers from Miller…while sitting on the deck…

5. Swimming!!!

6. Buying some cute dresses for Spring/Summer…one of my work friends is promising to hook me up with her Ann Taylor discount.

7. Being able to find the Dave Aude Remix of U2’s Magnificient so that I can add it to my ipod.

8. Writing a blog about life’s own movie moments…I had one recently that is related to #7 above and #9 below.

9. Getting back on track with my Lolly Friar novel…because I got a fine reminder of the need to keep on writing to get that first draft done. Then I can hack away at it and really make it into something.

10. Looking for some old work friends on Facebook.

11. Eating healthy again and getting back on track T1 Diabetes-wise…so that my doctor will love me and not be disappointed in me.

12. Hitting my 15th Anniversary at work…upon which I will earn 8 hours of annual leave each pay day. Score!!!

13. Being first on Carmen’s link list for the Thursday 13!! Update - I was second...but not bad. Maybe next week!!!

Wicked Games...

So I finally...after about three weeks of walking across the hall to the community printer...replaced my toner cartridges. It is no mystery that the past few weeks have been more intense than usual and somehow the thought of replacing my printer cartridges seemed like it would take away a painstaking amount of time that would be better spent doing something else. How stupid is that? Walking across the hall to another location to get something off of the printer multiplied by the number of times I print per day (trust me...it is a lot)times the number of days I went without a working printer (approximately 10 working days)has got to be a lot longer than the five to ten minutes it actually took to replace everything. The mind games one plays with oneself...

Novel Writing....Remember That?

It is truly ridiculous that I have not written anything novel-related in about three months. I always get down when this happens. My mind starts taunting me with thoughts about how if I was a REAL writer...I would figure out how to continue to write (at least everyday) and continue to make progress on my work in progress or anything really. But I don't do that. Therefore, I am not a writer. Sometimes I feel like a faker...I am in one of those wallows at the moment. I need to get the fever back. I need to put work aside and go back to writing in the early AM before work. That seemed to work a few months back. Maybe I need to make it a goal for this coming week.

Perhaps if I write it down on my "to do" list I will get it done? How sad is that?

Work, Work, Work...

Seems like all I am about these days is work. I'm settling in for my afternoon of work writing and catching up on things in preparation for what I am anticipating will be quite an intense week. All weeks have been intense lately, but I think I'm holding my own pretty okay. I have my moments. Especially when I think about noveling and how I have not done a thing since that day I took off on February for my "rescehduled birthday". I haven't been facebooking. I haven't been blogging. All I seem to do is work, sleep, and spend time with those I care about. Although that last one has suffered quite a bit.

I keep thinking this will pass, I keep hoping it will pass, but I know that I can handle what ever is thrown to me. At least I didn't do any work yesterday...one day of rest is better than none. And...I did sleep in this AM. I'll get through it. I know I can. I will...